E3 2013: Hands-on with Alphadia Genesis, Kemco's first 3D roleplaying game for iOS and Android

Between 1994 and 1997, Squaresoft made a tremendous leap in graphics when it swapped the 16-bit sprites of Final Fantasy VI for the pointy polygons of Final Fantasy VII.

Prolific mobile JRPG publisher Kemco is now poised to make the same leap, with the upcoming release of Alphadia Genesis.

Despite the visual innovation, however, Kemco was quick to point out that Alphadia Genesis isn't a sign of it's future direction as a publisher. It plans to return to retro, sprite-based JRPGs like Grinsia and Symphony of the Origin, but at the same time it's not ruling out future 3D releases either.

Equipped for success

During my time with Alphadia Genesis, it became abundantly clear that this was an RPG built from the ground-up to be played on a mobile device.

Menus are all icon-based, and every action, skill, spell, and item has a unique picture to identify it - a first for a Kemco RPG.

This makes navigating through combat menus a breeze, as you're no longer hunting through text with your finger or using virtual buttons to confirm or cancel actions.

Similarly, the main menu on the overworld is accessed through a Notifications-like window shade that you can swipe to access. A quick swipe down returns it to the dock, and just like that you're free to continue on with your adventure.

Navigation is touch-based as well, and doesn't rely on a virtual joystick which would only clutter up the screen. Instead, you simply tap where you want your character to go, and he'll tromp off in that direction.

Of course, if you're more comfortable with traditional RPG navigation you can always enable a virtual d-pad in the settings.

Another thing I quickly noticed about Alphadia Genesis is that everything is bright and polished from the outset.

While the overworld map is still a 2D, sprite-based affair, the colours and textures are all exquisitely rendered and are on par with the modern re-releases of 16-bit JRPGs like Final Fantasy V.

In battles, Alphadia Genesis positively shines with crisp, 3D graphics and smooth combat animations throughout. Characters brace when they take damage, leap forward to attack, and strike saucy victory poses at the conclusion of each battle.

In short, it's everything that you'd expect from a late '90s, turn-based RPG.

It's also a big departure from the usual style of game that Kemco brings to the mobile market, but this shouldn't alienate many Kemco fans as there are still plenty of traditional elements retained from its earlier mobile releases.

Voice acting and dialog boxes drive the story forward, and each character fits into a familiar, but not entirely clichéd, JRPG archetype.

If you're in the mood to relive the PSOne era of Japanese roleplaying games, Alphadia Genesis will be exactly the sort of game that you're looking for.

It preserves a lot of what makes Kemco games enjoyable (if a bit predictable) while applying a massive graphical and stylistic overhaul that many will see as a welcome change.

Alphadia Genesis will be released in Japan this summer. A western localization for iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android (smartphones and tablets) is expected at the end of 2013 or early 2014.

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